SGPC to meet Amit Shah over amendment to Sikh Gurdwaras Act

Ravneet Singh

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Patiala, June 29

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami today said the SGPC would now meet Home Minister Amit Shah over the state government’s amendment to the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925, which it (SGPC) rejected during a general house meeting on Tuesday.

He also urged the Governor to evaluate and look into the nitty-gritty of the entire episode before reaching a decision.

Direct interference

The government move means a direct interference in Sikh religious affairs. People are misinterpreting it as a matter of a selective news channel. Harjinder Singh Dhami, SGPC president

Dhami was at Gurdwara Bahadurgarh Sahib here in connection with the inauguration of a diwan hall. He said the SGPC would meet Home Minister Amit Shah over the matter.

“We will gather like-minded ‘panthic’ organisations and meet the Home Minister over the matter,” he said. He reiterated that the state government should not interfere in the Sikhs’ internal religious affairs. “We have already rejected the state government’s amendment and have also explained the matter to the Governor. The government step of amending the Act without seeking SGPC’s consent will set a precedent of carrying out unconstitutional amendments to various Acts in future,” he said.

He said even the Centre couldn’t amend the Sikh Gurdwaras Act without the consent of the two-thirds majority of the SGPC members.

He said, “The government move means a direct interference in Sikh religious affairs. People are misinterpreting it as a matter of a selective news channel. This will set a wrong precedent of carrying out unconstitutional amendments and we are against it.”